Everyone wants a rock to wind a piece of string around

“We live in an open universe,” said William James, “in which uncertainty, choice, hypothesis, novelties and possibilities are natural.”

But if the universe is unfinished, so are we. Each one of us is, in fact, an open universe. Each one of us is a microcosm of uncertainty, choice, hypothesis, novelties and possiblities. Each one of us is an unfinished person in this unfinished universe. And each one of us feels an infinite and mysterious obligation to complete ourselves and somehow contribute to the completion of the universe.

The late George Sheehan wrote these words in his book, This Running Life, in 1980, and is the basis for the title of my main blog, an unfinished person (in an unfinished universe). (It sounded better than having as the title of my main blog “a microcosm of uncertainty, choice, hypothesis, novelties and possiblities,” don’t you think?) Beginning with today’s post here on Just A (Running) Fool, I will be starting each post from now on with a quote from Sheehan or other runner gurus such as John Bingham and Jeff Galloway, to name just a couple from whom I might quote in the future.

However, this new addition to my blog isn’t the only change that’s starting today. It is only one of many, which already have begun before my even writing this post.

On Saturday afternoon, The Wife and I went out to the Pine Creek Trail near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, which is near where we live. She walked along the trail; I headed up Mount Tom. As I was crawling the last 6/10s of a mile to the top, I suddenly had a few ideas for a new daily schedule that I wanted to write down, but unfortunately, I had nothing on which to write, let alone a writing utensil.

When I sat down on a rock at the top of the mountain, I started scratching out the schedule on one of the large rocks there with a smaller rock. The problem was I couldn’t carry this big stone rock back down the hill. So what to do? I found a smaller rock and scratched out my ideas.

"Everybody wants a rock to wind a piece of string around..."

For those of you who can’t read my writing, here is what I wrote on the front of the rock:

6:30: Run (Exercise of some kind, if gym for a couple of days, that also will be good)

7:30: Sheehan (read George Sheehan or one of the other aforementioned authors: John Bingham, Jeff Galloway, what I consider the Trinity of Running Writers.

8:30 Blog

On the back I wrote only two times:

4:30 EP (an abbreviation for Evening Prayer)

9:30-10:30: Bed (which would leave me 7-8 hours of sleep)

So this morning I was up at 5:30 and while not out the door by 6:30, I did make it out by 6:40 for a run through the local cemetery and was back by 7:25. Some days, as I go to Mount Tom, which is several miles outside of town — to which I drive– and another trail, which is a considerable distance from where I live, the time will be adjusted somewhat. However, for the most part, I’d like to stick as close to the schedule as I can.

Getting up earlier is something toward which I’ve been working for the last couple of years, with many failed attempts. However, it is something I have decided toward which I need to continue to strive, and hopefully publicly displaying my schedule will help to hold me accountable. The Wife already is on board with this, even asking, “If you don’t get up, do you want me to roust you from bed?” And I said, “Yes,” because I want this to work.

I know it won’t be easy, but I am confident that I can do it. Plus I have all of you (the one or two regular readers of this blog, not that I don’t appreciate you, mind you, at least, somebody is reading it — at least, I hope so, if not que sera, sera ) to hold me accountable.

Note: Along with the new start today, I’ve added a new theme to the blog. The photo of me in the header is at the top of the Chilkoot at the Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect last year. I wanted the picture to remind me for what I’m working: to get ready for this year’s Megatransect, Oct. 4, only 46 days away!